


dirty dancing in the moonlight

by RedHoodie1723



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Batfam Big Bang, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Good Older Sibling Dick Grayson, Good Parent Selina Kyle, Identity Porn, Jason Todd is Catlad | Stray, M/M, Mutual Pining, Selina Adopts Jason, Thief Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26889964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoodie1723/pseuds/RedHoodie1723
Summary: It didn’t take long for Jason to fall fast and hard for Roy Harper. It took an even shorter amount of time for Jason to decide he hated Arsenal’s guts.OrA Stray!Jason AU in which Jason doesn’t realize he is falling for the same man twice.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Wally West (mentioned), Harleen Quinzel & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Selina Kyle & Jason Todd, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 134
Kudos: 326
Collections: Batfam Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, Selina is the one to find Jason as a child, and takes him in. Jason works by here side as Kitten, until he is 16 and adopts the name Stray. This fic is set four years after Bruce and Selina get married. Everything for the Batfam is relatively the same, except with all the Robins being moved up a number.
> 
> Jason also never died here, so he doesn’t have any of that extra Lazarus height boost, so he’s only like 5’9”ish here instead of his normal 6’0”. 
> 
> If you have any questions about the AU, feel free to drop a comment!!

Star City was not a very memorable place in Jason’s opinion. Metropolis, as much as any true Gothamite hated the place, had its bright spots. From the tall skyscrapers built from glass to its shining Kryptonian protector, the city practically glowed with hope. Gotham on the other hand was built of stone and gothic architecture. The landscape of the city was convoluted and intimidating to the basic tourist. But there was a rhythm to the city, a pull that kept you there and wouldn’t let you go.

Even other cities like New York and Los Angeles had memorable qualities. But Star City? It was almost as forgettable as its vigilantes.

Sue him, but after being the stepson of Batman for four years, none of the things he’s heard about the knock-off Robin Hood have been particularly flattering. From what he’s heard from Bruce, Green Arrow isn’t annoying enough to properly hate like Green Lantern, but he isn’t responsible enough to properly respect like Superman and Wonder Woman.

However, Green Arrow is just skilled enough to be a threat. So Jason made sure that he was out of town while he ran this little errand of his.

LexCorp was a multinational company that has buildings in almost every major city in America, except for Gotham. Wayne Enterprises’ ties to the city are too strong for LexCorp to make any real profit there. The closest cities to Gotham with a LexCorp building were Metropolis and Star City. And frankly? Jason did not want to mess with Superman. Not only because he would lose dramatically in that fight, but because Clark has a way of making Jason feel guilty when he even thinks about stealing one of Alfred’s cookies, much less files from a billion-dollar company.

So Star City it was.

Jason landed silently in a room of the LexCorp building. Luthor didn’t even bother putting any security in the vents. Either he was a stupid moron or an egotistical moron, but either way, Jason wasn’t going to complain, it made his job easier. 

The office he was in now belonged to the Star City branch Director. Jason has set the cameras on loop a minute ago, so he didn’t have to worry about that.

He took a moment to look out the window of the corner office. Two of the walls in the room were made of glass, both looking out over the city. Up this high, Jason might understand what the appeal of the city might be, but it was nothing compared to the bright lights and atmosphere of Gotham. 

With a sigh, Jason turned around and launched himself into the large, leather spinny-chair. After a few turns, the chair came to a stop in front of the screen. Jason turned it on with a tap, the monitor coming to life with a hum. Jason plugged in the USB Tim gave him a year back for his birthday, it had a hacking software installed to make missions easier. (Well, it was supposed to be used for missions, but if Jason brought it along on heists? Then that’s none of Tim’s business.)

As the code worked to decipher the password, Jason hummed under his breath. When the screen opened to a cluttered desktop, Jason rolled his eyes. This guy runs a part of a Fortune 500 company and he can’t be bothered to be a little organized? That’s just sad.

Jason typed the keywords into the search bar, bringing up the folder he needed. A new LexCorp genetic research station that’s set to be built in the New Jersey meadowlands. It would destroy the ecosystem and endanger countless wildlife species. Jason’s godmother, Poison Ivy, was the one who brought this to Jason’s attention and called in a favor from him.

Even if Jason hadn’t owed her, he would have done it anyways. It frustrates and angers Jason to no extent when people who have money and power only use it to hurt everyone and everything around them, rather than trying to do some good in the world. 

As Jason popped in a new USB and watched the files download, a sound echoed through the room. Jason’s head snapped up, finding a young man standing at the door. A coffee cup lay on the ground, the dark drink seeping into the carpet. If Jason had to guess based on the clothes and tired appearance, it was probably one of the secretaries working late. It hadn’t even occurred to Jason that there might be overtime employees still present and he mentally cusses himself out over the oversight.

Jason stood up, hand out and his mouth opened prepared to talk to the guy, but before he could say anything the other man took off. Jason let out another cuss and vaulted himself over the desk and towards the door.

Slamming the large door open, Jason came face to face with the business end of a gun. It was shaking and the guy was clearly holding it wrong.

“Do not move. Don’t! I’ll do it!” The secretary was clearly panicked as he backed away slowly towards the desk. There was probably a panic button located on there somewhere and Jason wasn’t willing to risk staying around to see what happens.

Deciding that the secretary probably wouldn’t shoot unless there was an immediate danger to himself, Jason ran back into the room, ignoring the startled shout from the next room. He checked the computer to find the download complete and yanked out the USB. He closed the files, hoping to make it harder for them to identify what was stolen.

Jumping onto the desk, Jason grabbed the edge of the bookcase, pulling himself up before swinging back up into the air vent.

Jason probably should be more nervous than he was, but being who he was and growing up the way he did, he wasn’t too fazed. That should be concerning, but Jason didn’t want to look too closely into it. Unearthing repressed problems and all that, plus, who needs therapy when you can steal from the rich.

Jason pushed the vent cover open and scrambled out onto the roof of the building.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air as he brushed off the dust from the vent on his black, spandex suit.

A voice cleared behind him.

Jason’s heart skipped a beat as he turned on his heel to face the newcomer. 

He was leaning against the rooftop entrance, enveloped in shadows, making it hard to see him. From his silhouette, Jason could discern a tall male figure. He was twirling an arrow in his hand, a bow and quiver on his band. 

“I’m going to give you one chance to hand me the drive,” the figure said. His voice was low and smooth as he spoke.

Jason took a step back from him, his mouth curling into a smirk.

“Really? How generous of you?” He teased, before whipping around and sprinting towards the edge of the roof. He made it about three feet from the edge when a strong hand grabbed his shoulder. Not even a second later, another hand grabbed his other shoulder.

Jason’s body was yanked back and thrown behind the archer. Jason braced himself as he hit the ground. The cold concrete scraped his bare shoulders as he rolled out of the way of the other’s hit. He flipped into a back handspring and landed on his feet.

Jason stood a few feet away from his opponent, fists raised. The archer mirrored his pose, waiting for Jason to move.

The other’s muted red costume looked almost black in the night. His red hair flowed in the wind, making him look like some kind of Disney Princess knock-off. Something about him was familiar, but Jason assumed he’s seen him on TV before. There were just too many heroes to keep track of nowadays.

Jason lunged first, hand extended in hope of the claws on his glove scratching the other. The archer ducked under Jason’s swipe but wasn’t so quick to dodge the follow-through of Jason’s other hand. The claws tore through the fabric of the suit but didn’t break his skin.

The archer’s fist flew up and hit Jason in the jaw, making him stumble backward.

“What’s on the drive?” The archer asked, the question punctuated with a high kick towards Jason's head. Jason grabbed the foot at the last moment, and shoved. The archer fell back, but landed on his hands, and flipped back into a standing position.

“What’s it to you?” Jason responded suspiciously. He threw a punch only for an arm to block his shot.

The archer grabbed his wrist, twisting Jason into a tight hold. Jason’s back was pressed firmly against the other man’s chest (and _wow he is ripped_ ). His opponent was a little less than a head taller than him, so the back of Jason’s head almost rested on his shoulder. One strong arm was wrapped around his throat, with just enough pressure to keep him in place but not choke him. The other hand, still holding Jason’s wrist, yanked Jason’s arm into an awkward position that Jason knew he could easily dislocate Jason’s shoulder if he applied enough pressure. Jason’s free hand scratched at the archer’s arm, to no avail.

Jason stilled, his heart rate rocketing.

“What’s on the drive?” The words were quiet, almost whispered, and laced with threat. The other’s breath tickled his ear.

“Plans for a research center. Gonna be built on a marsh. It’s going to kill a lot of plants and animals. Really just a bad thing in general, although, it’s coming from LexCorp so we shouldn’t really be that surprised.” Jason choked out.

The archer was silent for a second, and Jason tensed, preparing for the worst. However, the pressure around his neck decreased and the other man let go, stepping away from Jason. 

“Ok,” He said, hands up. Jason gave him an incredulous look.

“Really? That’s it? ‘Ok’?” Jason asked, confusion evident in his tone.

“I hate Luthor as much as the next person. As long as you don’t go hurting people, go on right ahead.”

“And you are just gonna trust me?” Jason lifted an eyebrow. The archer cocked his head.

“I trust Dick, and he trusts you,” He said simply.

Dick? How would-

It clicks. Arsenal. One of the Titans and one of Dick’s friends. That is where he’d seen him before, pictures on Dick’s phone and files on the Batcomputer. 

Jason narrowed his eyes at the other, but Arsenal showed no sign that he was joking.

Jason, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, took off for the edge of the roof. With a flip, Jason leaped off the building, freefalling.

He pulled out his grapple and swung to the next building, sparing a glance over his shoulders. Arsenal was still standing there, watching him, in what could almost be classified as a superhero pose.

What a strange dude.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason meets with Harley, passing the USB drive along and getting a little advice in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not going to lie, this chapter is mainly filler to set up the next one. However, I couldn't pass up on some quality Harley and Jason bonding lol

Ivy and Harley lived in a three bedroom apartment in Gotham City near Robinson Park. It's a nice place with a large kitchen and rooftop access where they have a nice little greenhouse.

Jason found the key on the ring and opened the door to the apartment. He had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the multiple hanging plants Ivy had in the entry hallway.

He kicked his shoes off, throwing his boots to the side to sit next to a single flip flop, three converses, and a pair of glittery 5 inch heels.

Shrugging his jacket off, he made his way into the kitchen. Harley was humming a tune he didn’t recognize as she pulled trays of cupcakes out of the oven. 

Jason rested his jacket on the back of one of the island’s barstools, making enough noise to alert Harley to his presence.

With a gasp, she turned on her heel to face him. Her face broke into a huge smile as she launched forward to pull Jason into a hug.

“Kitten!” She exclaimed. Despite the fact that Jason stopped using that name when he turned sixteen, choosing to go by Stray instead, Harley never stopped referring to him as such.

“Hey, Auntie,” Jason greeted, pulling away from the hug after a second. “It’s good to see you.”

“‘Course it is, I’m a goddamn delight to be around,” She winked at him before turning back to the stove. “Help me ice the cupcakes an’ I’ll graciously allow you to have a few.”

Jason learned long ago that a fair majority of Harley’s cooking was flat out toxic, whether intended or not. Which is why she and Ivy mostly ate takeout whenever he and Selina weren’t around to cook.

“How generous,” Jason snarked, with no heat behind his words.

He glanced around the kitchen. Not much has changed since he last visited. Random pots and plates lay anywhere on the counter, plants hung from the cabinet, dangerously close to the stove. Sparkly, pink glitter glue labeled what was supposed to be inside the various cabinets, although Jason doubted that anything was where it was meant to be, but points for effort.

The tiled floor was surprisingly clean, but he couldn’t say the same for the ceiling, as the stain where Ed tried to flip a pancake was still there. Coffee circles were present on the counter, as they had lost the coasters ages ago when Harley got drunk and tried to cut them up to make Batarangs.

There was still a scratch on the fridge from when Jason first got the claws attached to his gloves but hadn’t yet been briefed on how to use them indoors. He bet if he looked long enough, he could identify the majority of the scratches and dents in the walls, cupboards and appliances, but Harley dragged his attention back to the task at hand, passing him a bag full of blue frosting. 

She started humming again, but this time in tune to the song she had turned on while Jason was zoned out. Jason found himself singing along as well. They settled into a steady rhythm, meaningless chit chat while they iced the cupcakes.

It reminded him of the times before he and Selina had moved into Wayne Manor, when he lived here with the three Sirens. Jason loved his new family, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss his old one.

Harley eventually stilled, setting the green tube of icing down. She crossed her arms over her apron (which read ‘kiss the cook’, however Harley had taken a lipstick tube to it to alter the words to say ‘kill the cook’), and leveled a look at Jason.

“So, what brings you ‘round?”

“What? I can’t visit my favorite aunts because I want to?” Jason laughed.

Harley snorted. “Psychiatrist, remember? You have an ulterior motive here.”

Jason shrugged, turning away to walk back to his jacket. He pulled the USB from his jacket, tossing it to Harley. She caught it with a practiced ease.

“For Ivy, Luthor’s research center plans,” He said, gesturing towards the item, “However…”

“What?” Harley asked, pocketing the device. Jason hummed, considering his next words.

“He let me go,” Jason frowned. Harley cocked her head to the side, clearly looking for more information. “Arsenal, the guy I ran into while getting that drive. We fought, then I mentioned what was on there, and he let me go.”

Harley shrugged, “Luthor’s a bad man, maybe he wants to see his pockets hurt as much as we do.”

“Maybe. I checked my suit, no trackers or bugs, so he wasn’t trying to follow me or gain more info. I just don’t get it,” Jason sighed, clenching his fist in frustration. He doesn’t know why it bothers him so much, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the archer since their fight, and that was almost two days ago.

“There isn’t always anything to get. You’re thinkin’ too hard about this, gettin’ paranoid, Jay. Bats’ is starting to rub off on you,” She assured him, patting his shoulder, “It’s probably nothin’, he probably wants to see Luthor taken down too, but if it is somethin’, you can take him.”

Jason hummed, not entirely sure about the confidence Harley has in his fighting skills. Jason’s good, of course he is, but he’s always been better at defense, distraction and evasion was his thing, rather than playing offense.

“Sure, right,” He said, entirely unconvinced. She rolled her eyes.

“Kitten, listen. I’m gonna be honest with ya. It seems like you’re reachin’ here, but if you’re really that concerned, then why don’t you just call up that brother of yours?”

“Huh?”

“Nightwing. Aren’t he and Arsenal all buddy-buddy over in Titans Tower?” Harley asked, an eyebrow raised. Jason felt a frown tugging on his lips. The archer had mentioned Dick, but Jason didn’t know if he wanted to bring this up with his big brother. Dick, and the rest of the bats, still got twitchy any time Jason brought up a heist or crime.

“Yeah, but-“

“But what?” She gave him a look that dared Jason to challenge her.

Jason sighed, “Fine, I’ll call him later. Can you tell Aunt Ivy that I dropped that off?”

“Sure, she should be back soon, though. Stay for cupcakes and you can talk to her yourself?” 

Jason winced at the idea of eating Harley’s cupcakes, no matter how pretty they looked.

“No, I promised B I’d meet him at the airport in an hour, I need to leave now if I want to make it there.”

“B? Where’re ya goin’ with Bats?”

Jason smiled, “Chicago, business trip. He invited me.”

Bruce’s business trips were almost always boring, according to his stepsiblings, but Jason had never been himself. Even if he wasn't sure of the entertainment value of the trip, he wouldn’t deny being excited over the prospect of getting his stepdad’s undivided attention. Having five other kids in the house made it a full out competition to get Bruce and Selina’s attention on anything, no matter how hard they tried to make sure everyone felt included.

“Huh, can’t imagine Batman going on business trips for some reason. D’ya think he carries around a briefcase and wears a Fedora like one’a those old fashioned mobsters?” Harley asked, tilting her head to the side as if she was asking herself.

Jason shook his head, “Bye, Auntie Harley.”

She once again engulfed him in a big hug, almost lifting his feet off the ground.

“Do not get murdered in the streets! Watched a Buzzfeed: Unsolved episode about a killer in Chicago, would be a shame if you never came back,” Harley always had the weirdest way of saying threatening things that still sounded nice. Jason has grown used to it.

“I’ll try,” He smiled, pulling his jacket back on and heading back out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason meets a handsome stranger at a gala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know I said this would update Tuesdays, but I got caught up in school and forget to post, that is my bad, I am so sorry!

The others were absolutely right about the sheer lack of excitement that comes with accompanying Bruce on a business trip. Over the past two days, Bruce has been in and out of meetings, leaving Jason either stuck in the hotel room or to wander Chicago by himself. Jason’s only reprieve came at night when Bruce’s schedule was free, however his stepdad was always so tired after that he couldn’t fully enjoy it.

But things weren’t all bad. Bruce had a free spot around 11 earlier today, and he took Jason to a small ice cream shop. Jason got two scoops of cookie dough in a cup and Bruce had one scoop of vanilla bean in a cone. It was actually pretty pleasant ice cream, and this is coming from someone who’s had Alfred’s homemade chocolate ice cream. 

They were also able to watch the newest Black Widow movie on their first night. Jason had seen it two weeks prior with Stephanie and Duke in Gotham, but Bruce hadn’t yet because he’s old and hates fun. The older man had even let them both go off their strict diets for once to enjoy crappy movie theater popcorn and some M&Ms.

So between getting to see a new city and those small moments with Bruce, Jason wasn't having the worst time in Chicago.

It all came crashing down when Bruce told him about the gala.

“Really? Why would I possibly want to go socialize with a bunch of rich people with sticks up their butts?” Jason scoffed, glaring at the ground. He sat on his bed in his room of the hotel they were staying in. Bruce stood at the door, a suit in Jason’s size in his hand.

“I would also be there,” Bruce reminded him, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, and?” Jason knew he was being petulant, and Bruce did too.

“Jason, I want to spend some time with you before we head back home. I promise this gala will only be a few hours, and if you start to feel bored or uncomfortable, you can leave,” Bruce offered, but was met with a stubborn silence.

“We can go get chili dogs after if you’re good,” Bruce sighed.

“How flexible is your definition of good?” Jason quipped. Bruce rolled his eyes, tossing the suit at Jason.

“Get dressed, you have 40 minutes before we go.” The door was promptly shut behind him.

———

Jason had removed his tie and undone the first button of his shirt ten minutes ago. Bruce had helped him tie it, but the stifling heat and tightness of the room quickly got on Jason’s nerves.

He had lost a crowd of old ladies a bit ago, but had hid out near the snack bar in case they made a return. His cheeks were still red from their pinching, despite the fact that he was 19 and not 9.

Jason had grabbed a flute of champagne earlier, but quickly tossed it into a plant and replaced it with water. The champagne at these events was never any good, besides, Willis Todd was enough of an example of why Jason should stay far, far away from alcohol for the remainder of his hopefully long life.

As he sipped on his drink, he surveyed the room. The gala was to promote Wayne Enterprises and Queen Consolidated’s new partnership. Jason didn’t bother reading the fine print, but it was a large energy project that could cut the US’s emissions in half over the next ten years, in addition to providing affordable clean energy to low income areas.

The ballroom was filled with business people and socalites alike, most only here to look good and charitable, rather than being actually invested in seeing what good this project can do for people.

Jason would bet his entire inheritance that just one outfit in this room could feed a family for a month, if not longer. It made Jason angry back when Selina first married Bruce and Jason was introduced to high society, and it still does now. It never seemed fair, that one person could have so much and help so little, that hundreds of people could be starving in the streets while one person could be served a feast every night. He guessed that was part of what motivated to do the things he did, steal from those who could afford it and give to those who couldn’t.

He was like a Robin Hood, but sexier.

Bruce is different though, he donates constantly and has organizations to help boost the poorer communities. He became Batman to protect the people who have been put at risk by the system that allowed all this injustice. However, no amount of donations and help and compassion Bruce pours into Gotham, a large portion of Gotham’s wealth is still hoarded by the elite. It infuriated Jason to no end, and if he let himself dwell on it long enough, it often ended with a string of robberies in Bristol and the Diamond District.

With a huff, Jason knocked back the rest of his drink, heading to the balcony doors. He needed some fresh air.

His fingers itched for a cigarette, but he dropped that bad habit a few months ago and had been trying to stay clean for a while now. He didn’t want to break that streak now.

Instead, Jason raked his hands through his artfully tousled hair, probably ruining 10 minutes of hard work trying to make it look effortlessly good.

Footsteps echoed behind him as another presence joined him on the balcony. Jason shifted his gaze from the stars to glance at the stranger who had stood a few feet away from him.

He was taller than Jason, but he was leaning against the rail so he was about eye level. He had coppery red hair that fell to his shoulders and jade eyes. His tanned skin was covered with freckles, and a small scar lay on the right side of his jaw.

The stranger’s suit was black, with a dark red button up underneath. Like Jason, it seemed like he had ditched the tie as well. Jason was half tempted to let his eyes wander further down the strangers form, but he knew where the line between creep and flirt lay, and it was one he tried his best to stray away from. 

Hedidn’t know if the stranger was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Jason, or if he just chose not to acknowledge him because the he has yet to look at Jason. Rather his eyes seemed fixated on the night sky.

Jason would much rather his pretty eyes focus on him.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Because you are hot as hell,” Jason started. He knew the line was bad, awful in fact, and clearly the stranger thought so too.

“Really?” He turned with a teasing grin, “That’s the best you got?” Looking at the other man head on, Jason realized his nose was slightly crooked and his other eyebrow had a little scar running through it. It was quite cute.

“I’m sure I can think of some more if you give me a little time and your number,” Jason winked. The other man snorted.

“Nice try. It’s gonna take a little more work than that.”

Jason gave a little pout at that, before quickly moving on to his next point.

“I never got your name.”

“That’s because I never gave it to you. But it’s Roy. Roy Harper.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.

“You’re Queen’s son?” Bruce had mentioned the bearded blonde millionaire a few times. They used to go to school together, but apparently Oliver Queen was insufferable to be around. The news frenzy around Oliver Queen taking in a kid had been nothing compared to what happened when Bruce took in Dick, but still enough to capture Jason’s attention for a short while. Jason could only hope Roy was much more pleasant to be around.

Roy grimaced at Jason’s question.

“Sort of? It’s… complicated,” Roy finished with a sigh. He looked away from Jason, a frown tugging on the corners of his lips.

Jason heard rumors of a falling out between Roy and Queen years ago, but he just assumed it was just celebrity gossip. He couldn’t count how many times he picked up a tabloid that said it had the juiciest new details about his family’s drama. None of it was true about them, so Jason never took what they said about other people to heart.

However, Roy’s reaction was a pretty big indicator that there may be some truth to the story.

Jason didn’t know his whole story, or what had happened between the two, but he could somewhat relate. He was a thief, plain and simple. That is just what he’s always been. But the black and white view of mortality the Bats boasted didn’t exactly bode well with his criminal past. It took a few years for them to come to terms with the fact that Jason wasn’t going to change who he is. He can play hero and do good all he wants, but he’ll always be a thief. Things have been smoother since, but it had been a bumpy ride to get there.

And even if Jason disregarded the Bats, he still had years of living with Willis and Catherine to make up for it.

“Story of my life,” Jason snorted. Roy turned back to face him, taking a few steps closer so that he was only about a foot or two away from Jason.

“So, I know this cute restaurant a few blocks down, if you’d like to tell me that story?” Roy asks, holding out his hand with a lopsided smile. “I mean, you’re cute, I’m smoking hot, couldn’t hurt.”

Jason snorted.

“Wow, good looking and humble,” He snarked. “I…”

Jason trailed off as he noticed Roy’s eyes shifting off Jason’s own to look at the window behind him. Jason didn’t know him well enough to pinpoint the emotion on his face, but it almost resembled one of confusion, and maybe… hurt?

Jason turned around so he could look back at the window separating the balcony from the gala. Following Roy’s line of sight, his eyes landed on Oliver Queen himself.

‘It’s… complicated”

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Roy beat him to it.

“Why is he here?” He mumbled, not really asking Jason. The red head turned back to face him. “I’ve got to go, it was nice meeting you…”

“Jason,” He supplied.

“Jason. See you around then,” Roy gave him a smile that looked more like a grimace the longer Jason looked at it.

Jason watched with a slight pout as Roy retreated back to the party. Jason’s eyes lingered a few more moments, before turning back to the night sky.

He didn’t even get his number.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the gala, Jason goes to blow off some steam... by stealing from some rich jerks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ik it’s late Thursday, but technically it’s still Thursday where I live, so I am not late lol. Anyways, here is the chapter, I hope you guys enjoy because it’s setting us up for the next big Stray vs Arsenal confrontation!
> 
> Also, to everyone who has left a comment so far, just know that they make my day and make writing this fic 10x more enjoyable knowing how much you guys like it! So thank you all for commenting!!

Realistically, Jason knew that going out to steal some stuff wasn’t the best way to deal with rejection, but then again, since when has anyone in his family ever been known for good coping mechanisms?

And it wasn’t like Jason felt deeply betrayed. After all, he’d just met Roy, and it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been rejected. But a blow to the ego was still a blow to the ego.

The gala had ended about an hour ago, and Jason made his escape as soon as he saw the opportunity. Bruce was not as lucky. Queen had pulled him aside as they were leaving, Jason assumed to talk business, and Bruce told him to go ahead without him.

Jason knew Bruce would be disappointed in him later, but that was a problem for future Jason. Current Jason’s problem was figuring out how to break into the home of one James and Marissa Kester. The Kester’s just bought a new diamond necklace that had small diamonds encircling the piece and an eight carat diamond nestled in the center.

Of course, Jason is never one to fault someone for good taste, but the Kesters were part of the board of the biggest coal mine in Illinois and they had prominent connections to multiple corrupt officials within by the local and state government, and Jason hated nothing more than people who think that their money gives them a free pass to do whatever they want and hurt whoever they want. So, with a need to blow off steam, a target in the nearby vicinity, and no parental supervision for the next who knows how long, one can’t really fault Jason for turning to thievery.

The Kesters had a mansion outside of city limits, but they also had a penthouse in uptown Chicago, which is where the necklace was currently stored. It was a simple game of grappling onto the roof from another building, and using an electronic disturbance device he stole from Barbara to shut down the cameras before Jason made his way inside.

The inside of their penthouse certainly had a modern vibe to it, much different than the halls of Wayne Manor, but it also felt cold and empty. Pristine surfaces and empty walls, no pictures, papers, leftover coffee mugs, or anything that would indicate anyone lived here. The only evidence that the penthouse was inhabited was the lack of dust and the coat hanging on a hook near the door. A frown tugged at Jason’s mouth when he caught sight of the coat — the Kestlers were supposed to be at their family mansion for the next week. Jason supposed they could have left it behind, but the rest of the apartment indicated they had at least one or two maids that could have spotted the clothing item.

Jason proceeded with more caution after that.

He didn’t have a layout of the floor plan in the penthouse, but most people kept items as expensive as that necklace in either the bedroom or an office. Pushing open doors and looking into rooms, Jason explored the deserted apartment.

He found the master bedroom, but came out empty handed, which made the next possible place the office. Jason ran across various guest bedrooms and bathrooms, and a few other assorted spaces, but had yet to find anything of importance yet. It was only when he reached the door at the end of one of the hallways that he noticed something. This door was open a crack, as opposed to the other rooms where the doors were shut.

Light spilled out of the door and into the hallway, illuminating a strip of Jason’s face and uniform. Stepping forward silently, Jason peeked into the room to find James Kestler, the man’s back to him, staring out the office window. His desk was strewn with books and papers, messy and scattered, which was a nice change to the cold, unlived-in feel the rest of the house gave. His shirt was unbuttoned about a third of the way down and he was nursing a glass of scotch.

Jason cursed internally, James was supposed to be home with his wife right now. Why would the man possibly want to be back here? Marriage problems? Business troubles? Either way, it was a problem for Jason. How unlucky was it that his last two heists had to have people present that weren’t supposed to be there. The only thing that could make this worse is if they managed to call that hero Arsenal as well.

James hadn’t seemed to notice Jason yet, his gaze unfocused as he gazed out the window at the city lights. Jason didn’t dare open the door further, in case it squeaked, but he tore his eyes off of James to look across what parts of the room he could see.

Nothing but bookcases and some extra seating, but they wouldn’t keep a safe with something as valuable as that necklace out in the open. If Jason wanted to get a proper look around the room, he needed to draw James out of it… or just knock him out.

Selina would’ve figured out how to distract him to give her free access to the room, but Jason isn’t Selina.

Slamming the door open, Jason lunged into the room. James startled in his seat. Catching sight of Jason, the man reached for something under his desk, but with a flick of his wrist, Jason caught James’ arm, his whip wrapping around his wrist. He yanked the whip back, causing the man to go flying over his desk, tumbling to the ground at Jason’s feet.

James started to blubber, begging for mercy, but Jason silenced him with a quick nerve strike to the neck. He supposed he shouldn’t use Cass’ teachings to commit crimes, but James and Marissa were scumbags, so really, Jason is doing everyone a favor by knocking them down a few pegs.

Jason rolled his whip back up and hung it back on his belt, and, after stepping over the man’s unconscious body, he checked the room’s walls. They had no painting to hide a safe behind, and the books were all real. Crouching down to check under the furniture, Jason found no secret hiding place. With all that crossed off the list, he turned his attention to the desk.

Jason shuffled through the papers disinterestedly, casting them aside for a second to turn to the drawers. Opening each one, Jason meticulously checked the insides for hidden compartments and the like. It was only when he reached the bottom right drawer that he found something of worth. Using the claws attached to his gloves, Jason pried the cover off the compartment, throwing the flimsy wooden cover aside.

The necklace shone in its place, placed carefully atop a layer of satin cloth. The diamonds sparkled in the moonlight that shone in through the floor to ceiling windows. Jason let out a soft breath as he picked up the necklace, as if it was made of delicate glass instead of one of the hardest naturally occurring substances on Earth.

Jason imagined it would be nice, to be both beautiful and unbreakable.

Pulling the necklace all the way out of the drawer, he moved to put it in one of his pockets, before he hesitated. Jason looked down at the necklace for a second, before unclasping the connector. Slowly, he dragged it up and around his neck, where he smoothly clasped it behind his head.

The necklace was a solid weight on his neck, but the high collar of his suit prevented him from feeling what was no doubt, cold metal. He traced the train of smaller diamonds until he reached the center piece with his right index finger. 

He looked up to look around for a mirror, but froze at what he saw instead. He missed it when he was feverishly checking the side drawers, but right there underneath the desk was a panic button. James had reached for it earlier, when Jason barged in. Was he able to press it before his whip caught the man’s hand? 

Jason pursed his lips, standing back up from the crouch he was situated in. A chill hit his spine as he did so, sending goosebumps over his bare arms. Freezing, Jason saw the papers on the desk fluttering slightly, as if there was a fan or wind entering the room. He didn’t hear the window open, but…

Jason pivoted on his heel to come face to face with the archer who had attempted to foil his robbery last time — Arsenal.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stray comes toe to toe with Arsenal once more as the archer attempts to foil his latest robbery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for missing last weeks update, school got wild and I didn't have time to finish writing this before Thursday. (I do have the next couple of chapters written already, but this chapter and the last one I threw in last minute, so I didn't have those written already)
> 
> LMK what you think of this chapter in the comments! I hope you guys enjoy!

Jason pivoted on his heel to come face to face with the archer who had attempted to foil his robbery last time — Arsenal.

“Would you believe me if I said I was just borrowing it?” Jason tried weakly, glancing back at the doorway to see if he could make it before Arsenal caught him.

“No,” He snarled.

Great, not only does Jason have to deal with a vigilante, he has to deal with an angry one. He had no idea what upset the archer so much, but he wasn’t inclined to ask. He got lucky last time with Arsenal, because it was technically for a good cause, but now Jason was just stealing to be petty. 

Jason moved first, lunging over the desk towards the door. He may not have the same combat expertise as Arsenal, but he’s faster and more agile and he intends to use this to his advantage. 

Grabbing the handle, he threw it open, the door glancing off the wall. Sprinting down the hallway, Jason tried to remember where the door to the penthouse was. He could hear Arsenal’s footsteps behind him, the archer not even bothering at trying to be quiet.

For a split second, the other pair of footsteps stopped, before a large weight crashed into him. Arsenal had tackled him from behind, his arms wrapped around Jason as they tumbled to the ground. 

Jason grunted as he hit the ground, his chin hitting the floor as Arsenal’s solid weight landed on top of him. Putting his hands firmly on the ground, he pushed up, snapping his head back and hitting the archer in the nose.

Arsenal gasped in pain, falling back, allowing Jason to roll out from under his body. Jason stood and turned back to face the other man, lowering into a defensive stance, he unsheathed the claws on his gloves.

They stood there for a second, waiting for the other to make a move. Blood was flowing from the archer’s nose but he didn’t seem bothered by it, or at least, hurt by it, considering Arsenal looked pretty pissed. The bow was strapped to his back, and he made no indication that he was going to move and grab it. He had a bruise already on the side of his face, most likely from earlier that night. Jason didn’t know what was going on with the hero, but he looked a lot angrier than he did last time they met.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Jason titled his head back, his lips curling in a half-smirk. He hoped Arsenal didn’t notice him slowly reaching for the pouch strapped to his waist, holding a few smoke bombs.

“Right now? You,” Arsenal said, annoyance clear in his tone.

Jason huffed. “Rude.”

Apparently Arsenal noticed Jason’s hand creeping towards the pouch, because the next thing he knew, the archer was lunging for him again.

Jason barely got his hands up in time to block the blow. Quickly transitioning from the defensive stance, he crouched down to avoid the next punch, swinging his leg under Arsenal’s. Jason took the opportunity to push the archer’s chest back, knocking the vigilante off balance. He didn’t stay down for long, turning his fall into a flip, landing a few feet away from Jason.

Jason glanced at the window, momentarily considering jumping, but Arsenal quickly blocked that path, shifting his body to be between him and the window. This guy was quickly starting to get under Jason’s skin. 

“Don’t you have something better to do than this? I promise I will cause no more problems if you let me go now,” Jason offered, half joking-half serious, a teasing smile gracing his face. He was tempted to throw a wink in to seal the deal, but at this point, Arsenal didn’t seem like he would respond to that well.

“I regret letting you go last time,” Arsenal grumbled. 

He decided to move first this time, leaping forward, claws extended as he swiped at the other’s face. Arsenal narrowly dodged, stepping back to avoid the slash. Jason brought his other hand up, claws nicking Arsenal’s chin. Three small cuts started bleeding on the left side of his jaw, the archer wincing in pain. 

Arsenal grabbed a book from the coffee table, swinging it as Jason. Missing the first two times, but then hitting him square in the ribs the third time. Jason grunted as the blow hit, bringing his arm up to hit the book away as it came in for a fourth swing. 

Jason swung his leg up to kick his side, but Arsenal grabbed his ankle, throwing him off balance. He stumbled slightly before the other man yanked his leg back to throw Jason at the wall behind him. Hitting the surface with a yelp, Jason turned to block whatever Arsenal would throw at him next. 

His effort turned out to be fruitless, as Arsenal just grabbed his arms, pinning them against the wall above his head by the wrists. His other hand resting on the wall next to Jason’s shoulder, his hips caging him in. Without any other option, he stilled, waiting for Arsenal to make the next move.

It was silent for a second, the air going still between them. Jason vaguely registered how close the archer was to him, his face close enough for Jason to see the faded freckles splashed across his nose and cheeks.

The weight on his shoulder lessened as Arsenal moved his hand to trace the necklace, still hanging around Jason’s neck. 

“This doesn’t belong to you.”

“And it doesn’t belong to you either, I don’t see why you’re so bothered over it,” Jason snapped back. Arsenal’s grip on his wrist tightened slightly.

“I’m going to give you one chance to surrender and hand it back, or I will take it,” Arsenal threatened. Jason raised one eyebrow, as if asking ‘seriously?’. He yanked the necklace off Jason’s neck, smug for a second, only for Jason to jerk forward and headbutt him.

The archer’s grip on his wrist loosen as he stumbled back, muttering curses under his breath as his nose started bleeding. Jason took this opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp. The necklace was still in Arsenal’s grasp.

Lunging for it, Jason ended up crashing into Arsenal. He couldn’t tell heads from tails as they hit the ground, both wrestling for the piece of jewelry. Jason felt an elbow hit his ribs, but not harder enough to deter him. Finally, his fingers closed around the cold metal.

Flipping them both over, Arsenal lay on the ground beneath him, Jason straddling his waist. He hung the necklace above Arsenal’s head, just out of his reach, taunting him.

Jason gave him a smug look. “What was that about taking it, pretty boy?” He teased. Arsenal scowled.

Jason though it was absurdly unfair. Unfair that Arsenal could wear a mask, be bleeding from cuts and a most likely broken nose, and still be kind of cute. It just made Jason hate him a little more.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I really must be going. You know how it is, old ladies to rob blind and children to steal candy from,” Jason said flippantly, tucking the necklace into the pouch on his left hip. “While I wish I could say this was fun, you were kind of a drag.”

“You know…” Arsenal started. “I was having a pretty shitty day before this.” Arsenal’s hands came to rest on Jason’s hips. He tensed automatically, but it was no use, as the archer had already pushed Jason over, rolling on top of him to switch their positions.

Arsenal leaned in close, his fiery hair hanging in a halo around his head as he looked down at Jason. He felt his heart jump in his chest at the dirty look the hero was giving him, feeling a little scared for the first time that night.

“And this? Isn’t helping.” He snarled. There was a hint of danger in his tone. A hint that Jason was embarrassed to say he found both terrifying and a little hot. 

Snapping the pouch back open, Arsenal grabbed the necklace. He eased his weight off Jason, standing up, jewelry in hand. Jason lay frozen, but watching carefully as the vigilante moved.

“Count yourself lucky I don’t arrest you, because it won’t happen next time.” 

Jason blinked and Arsenal was gone, the window open as the curtains fluttered in the wind.

Next time. Was this guy hoping to make this a regular thing? He hoped not. Jason scowled, brushing the non-existent dirt off his suit as he sat up.

So much for blowing off steam, all that he’d accomplished was just getting more worked up for nothing but a scolding from Bruce.

Arsenal, his name was fitting, that arse. It would have been so much easier for both of them if he had just left Jason to his own devices, but no, he had to shove his nose where it didn’t belong. They weren’t even in Star City for crying out loud!

Jason supposed, based off the vigilante’s anger, he was here to blow off some steam as well. But he could have done it elsewhere.

And he took the necklace as well, Jason doesn’t know what he was planning on doing with it, since the piece of jewelry belongs here. If it had been anyone but one of Dick’s close hero buddies, Jason would have suspected him of hijacking his heist. 

He doesn’t really have the time to go track Arsenal down and find out what he did with the necklace, nor the motivation to do so, so instead Jason resigned himself to return to the hotel room. Where, no doubt, Bruce would be waiting with that same disappointed face and long lecture anytime Jason does something like this.

Great. Because that is exactly how Jason wanted to spend his evening.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Dick go apartment hunting, talk about love, and plan a road trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually remembered to post this chapter on time, I think I should get a gold star or something.

A month after the gala and Jason had mostly forgotten about Roy Harper and Arsenal. It wasn't too hard. Roy was pretty, of course, but Jason simply didn’t know him well enough to truly dwell on him. And Arsenal, as annoying as he was, wasn’t the worst of Jason’s problems.

He turned his mind to other matters. 

Namely, apartment hunting.

Bruce and Selina had made it clear that Jason’s room in Wayne Manor would always be open for him. However, Jason is 19. He wants to at least attempt at being independent. But not too independent.

Which is why he and Dick were looking for a place together.

Dick used to live on his own in Blüdhaven. However, considering the state of his apartment and the fact that his cabinets had two boxes of cereal and nothing else, Dick wasn’t exactly good at living by himself. So when Jason had told him that he was looking for his own place, Dick came up with the brilliant idea of them being roommates.

Jason could understand the benefits, Dick hated living by himself, and Jason didn’t want to either. Plus, Dick couldn’t cook or clean for shit, and Jason doesn’t have any legal source of income, so they balance each other out.

Jason was slightly irritated at Dick’s insistence that they live in Blüdhaven, but he knew how important the city was to his brother.

“That place wasn’t so bad,” Dick offered meekly. Jason scoffed.

“There were rats in the wall and holes in the ceiling, Dick. It didn’t even have any hot water!” Jason said, an eyebrow raised in judgement.

Dick sighed.

“There’s one more apartment on today’s list. It’s uptown and has higher ratings than the rest we’ve seen today,” Dick said, pulling out a piece of paper with all of the listings on it. “We can grab something to eat on our way there?”

Jason hummed noncommittally, but agreed anyway.

They’ve been at this for a few weeks now and they still haven’t found the right place.

Cass even joined them one day and all she had to offer was a pity shoulder pat and a “good luck”.

Jason kicked a loose pebble as he and Dick made their way to the sandwich place. 

“We can always ask Bruce for help, I’m sure he knows lots of realtors that have places in Blüdhaven,” Jason offered, despite knowing what the answer will be.

Dick has an independent streak a mile wide. It had been the worst during the period when Dick had first become Nightwing. Selina and Bruce weren’t married yet, however it was obvious to every rogue that Batman and Nightwing had issues. Things calmed down after Tim became Robin, and with the subsequent arrivals of Cass, Damian, Duke, and then Selina and Jason, Dick and Bruce’s relationship was, for the most part, healed.

Even so, Dick still wanted to do things his own way. He will be the first person to preach to Bruce about letting others help him, but the last person to accept Bruce’s help.

“Nah, we can do this,” Dick responded as predicted. “Besides, I have a good feeling about this next one.”

Dick had had a ‘good feeling’ about all the previous ones as well.

They walked into the store, Jason grabbing them a table as Dick gave the woman at the counter their orders before joining him.

Dick was only sitting for a second before his phone rang.

“Mind if I take this?” He asked, Jason just shrugged, pulling out his own phone to play Flappy Bird.

Dick continued to chat with the person on the other line, and judging by the tone of voice and endearments, it was whoever he was dating now. And if memory serves correctly, that would be the Flash.

Well, one of the Flashes, the red haired one. Jason wasn’t privy to the identities of the people on the Titans team or the Justice League, so he couldn’t really put a name to the face.

Jason isn’t really that upset about being the only one of Dick’s siblings to not know who his teammates were. As it stands, Jason was also a known criminal in addition to being Dick’s brother. He doesn’t really blame the other heroes for not wanting him to know.

Jason stood to collect their order as Dick finished up his call. By the time he returned with the tray, Dick had put his phone away, but the dopey smile on his face remained.

“What was that about?” Jason raised an eyebrow as he picked up his sandwich.

“Just wanted to chat,” Dick said in an almost whimsical tone. Jason wrinkled his nose.

“That’s it? No other reason?”

“You don’t really need a reason when you’re in love,” Dick said, popping a fry into his mouth.

“Gross,” Jason rolled his eyes before taking a bite out of his food.

“Sure, Little Wing. But if you ever fall in love you’ll know exactly what I mean,” Dick said with an unnerving amount of certainty.

Jason has never really been the hopeless romantic type like Dick is. Sure he flirts, but his end goal is normally a bed rather than a ring. Call him pessimistic, but after spending most of his childhood watching Catherine and Willis’ marriage crumble to pieces, he doesn’t really believe in the whole fairytale happy ending stuff.

Dick grew up with two loving parents, Jason grew up with a mentally absent mother and a father who got off on beating up Jason and Catherine.

It’s hard to believe in love when your first experience with it was a poisonous falsehood.

“Love’s just a chemical reaction in the brain, Dickiebird. Nothing more than that,” Jason scoffed. Dick gave him a look he couldn’t quite decipher. He dropped the look with a sigh.

“If you insist,” Dick said, in a tone that made it obvious that he disagrees but won’t press the subject. 

Conversation fell silent for a moment before Dick spoke up again.

“So, got any plans for this weekend?” Dick asked.

Jason shrugged. “Other than robbing old ladies blind? No, not really.”

Dick snorted. “Funny, but really, Cass, Tim, Duke, and I are headed to Star City. Tim got us tickets to a Cardi B concert. We have an extra one if you’re free. Damian was supposed to go, but Bruce said he’s too young.”

“Nice to know I’m the second option,” Jason snarked. Dick rolled his eyes.

“You in or not?”

Jason considered his options. Spend the weekend alone in Gotham with only Damian for company or go with the others to the concert. It was a pretty easy decision to make.

“Why not?” Jason threw his hands up with a smile. “Got nothing better to do.”

Dick returned his smile. “Just so you know, Cass has already called shotgun, so you’re riding in the back with Tim and Duke.”

Jason wrinkled his nose. Tim has a tendency to spill snacks everywhere on car trips and fall asleep on the shoulder of whoever is next to him. Duke, on the other hand, will play his music so loud, that despite the fact that he’s playing it through headphones, everyone else can hear it.

Not that Cass or Dick are any better to sit next to, considering Dick’s overall clinginess if he falls asleep and Cass’ constant poking. But since Cass claimed shotgun, and Dick is most likely going to drive, that means that for the entire 3 hour car trip to Star City he’ll be stuck with Duke and Tim instead of the front seat that he normally prefers. Fantastic.

When Jason expressed this sentiment, Dick just laughed at him.

“It won’t be that bad. You’ll have fun,” Dick said in the voice that told Jason that he will absolutely not have fun.

Jason stood up with the trash left over from their meal, dumping it in the can by the counter, before heading towards the exit. Dick was quick to follow. They still had one more apartment to view.

———

The next one was a two bedroom, two bath. The kitchen was average size, but it had all the necessary appliances. There was a living room and a small foyer. And the best part? The distinct absence of rats.

Jason took another look around the 3rd floor apartment. There wasn’t really enough room for training, but there was a gym across the street.

Both bedrooms were the same size, and the bathrooms attached were identical, each had a shower, toilet, bath, and a sink with a mirror and medical cabinet (which will definitely come in use).

The wallpaper was a dusty pink and it was peeling, so he and Dick would most likely have to repaint, but the wooden floors were still in good shape. The kitchen countertops were black and contrasted the white cabinets. There were a few lightbulbs they’d have to replace, in addition to doing some other small clean up jobs, but otherwise, the place didn’t require too much work.

It was unfurnished, so they would have to buy or move some furniture of their own, but Jason loved it already. And judging by the look on Dick’s face, he did too.

“It’s perfect,” Dick said with a small smile.

Jason just hummed in response.

“I’m warning you now, I will be kicking you out on occasion when my boyfriend comes to visit,” Dick said after a minute, interrupting the silence.

“And you just ruined the moment.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the concert, Jason and the others crash at Roy’s place before heading home, but he doesn’t have enough beds to fit everyone.
> 
> Or
> 
> “There was only one bed”, but make it angst and awkwardness.
> 
> Or
> 
> Roy figures out Jason is Stray, but doesn’t say anything to him yet because feelings are hard. Meanwhile, Jason is stressing over his growing crush on the red head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving y’all!! Here is an extra long chapter as a treat. Enjoy!!

Jason thought that the concert would be a nice break from all the packing he had done recently to prepare to move into the new apartment. Jason thought wrong. 

Two hours after they arrived at the concert venue in Star City and Jason was ready to leave. He felt hot and sticky, turns out dancing for an hour straight in tight clothes was not a good idea. He shed his leather jacket about 20 minutes in, but he still had on form fitting pants that didn’t leave much room for air and a black tank top that had some of Tim’s drink spilled on it earlier. His legs hurt from standing for so long, and it seemed like Duke and Cass felt the same. Tim was still running rabid on whatever mix of Monster drinks and coffee Dick had allowed him to drink earlier. Dick somehow was still going strong and Jason envied his youthful vigor, despite being 2 years younger than him.

Cass seemed to catch onto Jason’s train of thought and grabbed his and Duke’s arm and threw a quick warning to Dick that they were going to get more drinks.

Jason let his older sister drag them out of the crowd and towards the relatively quieter concession booths.

She pulled a few bills from her pockets (Cass had been so happy to announce to them all earlier that her dress had pockets, showing off the dress in the foyer of Wayne Manor as they prepared to leave) and threw them down on the counter, passing two glasses of lemonade to Jason and Duke. Jason knocked his glass back, but Duke took smaller sips, as if to savor it.

“I want to take a nap,” Duke mumbled between sips, “I want to take, like, three naps.”

Jason snorted.

“When are we going back to the car?” Jason asked. Cass looked up at him from where she was fiddling with the hem of her dress.

“Too late to drive,” She said, shaking her head.

“Too late? Aren’t we supposed to be nocturnal or something?” Duke joked before digging his phone out of his jeans pocket. “But yeah, it is 11:46. It’s 3 hours back to Gotham and I am certainly not driving.”

“You’re 15, you shouldn’t be driving anyways,” Jason said, playfully nudging Duke’s shoulder.

“I do know how to drive though,” He protested.

“Not legally,” Cass added.

“Since when have we ever cared about legality?” Duke asked, incredulous.

“Fair enough,” Cass shrugged. “Dick has plans.”

“For sleeping arangements?”

“Yes.”

“Like a hotel?”

Cass shook her head. “He said friend.”

Jason bit back a joke about Dick not having any friends (which wasn’t true, but as per the sibling code he is required to say it) and instead focused on the fact that he made arrangements without telling them. Or, without telling him.

Jason scowled. “Great.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, man, and if you’re really upset, you can drive us all 3 hours back to Gotham,” Duke smirked. Jason’s scowl deepened.

“I think I’ll pass on that.”

Cass let out a light laugh before turning the subject towards Duke’s English project. One thing Jason and Duke bonded over is their love of literature, and while Duke was smart enough to complete the project by himself, Jason had offered his help on the project in a thinly veiled attempt to spend more time with the younger boy.

However, a few minutes later Dick came waltzing up to them, Tim thrown over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. As they got closer, Jason realised that Tim was passed out on Dick’s shoulder. The caffeine has probably finished working it’s way through his system while they were gone.

“Tim is done for, do you guys want to stay a little longer and have me pick you up later or do you want to go with me now?” Dick offered, adjusting his hold on the 16 year old.

“We’re going,” Cass said with a finality that Jason didn’t want to question. She snatched the empty cups from Jason and Duke’s hands and tossed them in the closest trash can.

She then started marching off towards the parking lot, leaving the rest of them behind. Duke snorted before taking off after her, and Dick just sighed.

“Do you want me to carry him?” Jason asked, vaguely gesturing to Tim. Dick nodded and passed the kid to Jason to hold. He slipped the unconscious boy’s arms over his shoulder and his head dropped into the crock of Jason’s neck as he held the kid by his legs.

They started to walk after Duke and Cass, Dick occasionally clicking the keys to his car in an attempt to find it in the sea of vehicles.

Once they located it, Jason dumped Tim in the middle seat, where his head lolled to rest on Duke’s shoulder. Sliding in next to him, Jason lightly kicked the back of Dick’s seat to get him moving.

Once they had exited the parking lot and were driving through Star City, Jason opened his mouth to ask, “Where are we going?”

“I have a friend who lives in Star, he said we can crash at his apartment for the night before driving home,” Dick explained, adjusting the rear view mirror as he spoke. Jason just hummed, turning to look out the window. As long as Dick isn’t handing them over to a serial killer or anything, he could care less.

Even at street level, Jason stands by what he said before. Star City isn’t very impressive. Not in the way Metropolis or Gotham was. The city lights bled into each other and so did the people, nothing really stood out. Jason supposed that might be good compared to the everyday craziness of Gotham, but Jason was fond of his city’s unpredictability.

Dick pulled into a parking space in the garage he drove into. He waved his phone, telling Jason that he’ll be right back, he’s just letting the guy know they’re there. 

Jason, Duke, and Cass hopped out of the car when Dick returned. The eldest reached in the car to pick up Tim before turning to the others.

“He’s meeting us up there, penthouse floor,” Dick said nodding towards the elevator. Cass and Jason were first to start walking, Dick behind them carrying Tim, and Duke picking up the rear. The youngest bat was trudging behind and he was starting to look exhausted, Jason had no doubts Duke would be quick to sleep tonight.

Jason’s fingers twitched when the elevator music started playing, and Dick snorted when he saw the scowl on his face caused by the inane music, but he didn’t say anything.

One soft ding and the opening of the elevator doors later and Jason and the others traipsed behind Dick as he entered the penthouse.

It was much different than the last penthouse he’d been in, the Kester’s, but not in a bad way. Organized chaos was the best description Jason could think of. He couldn’t see any further than the living room and kitchen, but what he did see was a pleasant sight. The furniture was nice, if not a bit mismatched, lacking a coherent style, but still managing to come across as cute rather than gaudy. There were photos on one of the walls, but far enough away to be too blurry to really make anyone out. A few dishes lay unwashed in the sink, and a box of opened cereal sat on the counter tops. The oddest thing was the occasionally mark on the wall, some resembling blast marks and others that look like something sharp pierced the wall (A knife maybe?)

He frowned, but didn’t spend too much time focusing on it, as the sound of an opening door emanate from one of the hallways.

“Hey, Dick! I’ll be in in a sec, just finishing something up,” A voice called out from the other room. It was familiar, Jason has heard it before, but he couldn’t put a finger on when.

“Take your time, Roy,” Dick called back.

Roy.

Roy Harper-Queen.

The same handsome man at the gala a month ago. The man who left Jason hanging and disappointed.

He had no idea he was friends with Dick. As far as Jason knew, he would never have to see Roy again after that night.

The panic must be evident on Jason’s face judging by the weird look Cass was giving him. Although, it’s Cass, Jason could have the best poker face in the world and she would still know something is up.

Cass raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as if to ask if he was okay. Jason just shook his head and threw a thumbs up at her.

He doesn’t know why he’s so panicked about this, he spent less than 10 minutes flirting with the dude before he ditched Jason.

Jason took a calming breath and turned back towards the hallway Roy’s voice emanated from. Of course, Roy took this as an opportunity to walk in and oh god.

Roy looked good in a suit, but he’s standing here in sweatpants, a tight tank top, sweaty and covered in oil stains and Jason is suddenly feeling very strange.

He had goggles perched on his forehead and a rag in his hands, that he threw over his shoulder as he walked closer. And his shoulders. Jason felt his breath hitch as his eyes wandered over Roy’s bare skin, the man had strong arms and muscled shoulders. He was covered in freckles and had the occasional scar marking his skin, multiple on his bare arms, but none on his face except for three half-faded ones on the left side of his jaw.

“Sorry, I’m a bit of a mess. Wasn’t expecting you until a little later,” Roy said to Dick, one arm reaching up behind his head to remove a hair tie that was holding his long, fiery hair back in a loose bun.

Jason doesn’t think Roy has noticed him yet (if he even remembers him), but he is thankful for that because it gives him a moment to sober up.

“Tim passed out early,” Dick explains, nudging his cheek against the sleeping boy’s hair.

“Yeah, well-” Roy paused as his eyes flickered to Jason. As Roy’s eyes flicked quickly up and down Jason’s body, he wished he had the opportunity to clean up a little before arriving. “Jason?”

“Hey, Roy,” Jason tried for a suave smirk, but the sentence ended up coming out awkward and stilted. Gears seemed to turn in Roy’s head as he stared at Jason for what was becoming an uncomfortably long time. Roy’s eyes narrowed after a minute, and Jason was wondering if he did anything to upset the guy, when Dick spoke up.

“Uh, you two know each other?” Dick asked, using the hand that wasn’t holding Tim (and the fact that Dick can hold the teenager with one hand really says something about Tim’s abysmal diet) to wave between Roy and Jason.

Roy beat Jason to it with a simple, “We met at a gala about a month ago. I guess it hadn’t clicked that gala Jason and your brother Jason were the same people.” 

The fact that he used ‘your brother Jason’ in a sentence implies that Dick has talked about him before, and frankly, knowing Dick’s tendencies to spill embarrassing secrets and frame them as funny stories, Jason did not want to know what he said.

Roy was still looking strangely at Jason even as he spoke to Dick, and it made Jason slightly uncomfortable, the look in the others eyes telling Jason that he knew something that Jason didn’t.

“Ah, ok then,” Dick smirked to himself, as if he knew exactly what happened at the gala, thankfully, he didn’t say anything further on the topic. “So, what’s the sleeping arrangement?”

Roy cleared his throat, looking away from Jason. “I have two guest bedrooms and a couch. And Dick can crash with me.”

Cass took off for the closest bedroom, but Duke just gave the hallway a blank look, before mumbling something about the other bedroom being too far away before he gently tossed himself on the couch.

“I guess you and Tim are sharing the other bed,” Dick shrugged. He tried untangling Tim’s arm’s from around him, but Tim wouldn’t budge. Dick clearly didn’t want to wake him up, but Tim was clinging like an octopus to him.

Dick froze after a second of trying to pull Tim off. “Hey, maybe Jason can crash with you? I don’t want to wake Tim up when he’s already sleeping.” Judging by the look on Dick’s face, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Roy hesitated. “Sure, no problem.” Turning to Jason he said: “I have to go shower, there are some pajamas that might be your size in the second to bottom drawer in my dresser if you want them.”

Jason just nodded mutely as Roy turned back to his bedroom. Jason swiveled on his heel to face Dick. He leveled a glare at him but Dick just shrugged and gave him a shit-eating grin.

Jason held his glare for a second before eventually turning and trudging behind Roy.

It’s just one night. There’s no reason for him to get so worked up over this. It's just a bed, and they won’t be doing anything other than sleeping.

With a sigh Jason pushed open the door to the room. It was relatively clean, with just one pile of clothes in the corner. The bed wasn’t made, but he didn’t really care. The shower was on and there was light streaming from under the bathroom door indicating that Roy was already in there.

Jason turned to find the dresser, opening the second lowest drawer and dragging out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. With another glance at the bathroom door to make sure it's still closed, Jason chucked his tank top off before slowly peeling the tight pants off his legs. He put the pants and shirt on top of the dresser, neatly folded, and left his shoes by the door. 

He pulled the sweatpants on, and despite pulling the drawstrings tight, they still hung low on his hips. Roy was probably a size or two bigger than Jason. 

Jason grabbed the shirt (the logo of a band Jason’s never heard of on the front) and was about to pull it on when the bathroom door creaked open.

Jason whirled around to find Roy, standing with a towel wrapped around his waist, dripping wet, and way too ripped than he has any right to be.

Roy’s face and chest flushed red when he noticed Jason was there. Roy’s eyes briefly flickered to the pants that were hanging low on Jason’s hips and his bare chest, before returning to his face.

Jason could practically taste the tension in the room as they both stood there. He stood silently, not wanting to be the first to break the tension.

“Ah- sorry, forgot to grab pajamas,” Roy said awkwardly, licking his lips. Jason blushed, nodding silently. He looked away as Roy shuffled past him to grab some clothes from the drawer before scampering back into the bathroom.

Jason let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Shrugging the soft shirt on, Jason reminded himself that this is Dick’s friend. He doesn’t want to make things weird when he’s already been so nice in letting them stay.

Jason shuffled over to the bed, gently perching on the edge of it. He played with the fraying hem of the large shirt before Roy walked in again.

This time he was wearing flannel pants and a tank top. His hair was damp and hung loosely around his shoulders.

Jason cleared his throat. “Do you have a preferred side of the bed or anything?” He asked in an attempt to not make it awkward, and totally failing. 

Roy just stood there. “Whatever is good with you.”

Jason hesitated, before shrugging and throwing himself down on the left side. Roy joined him a second later, taking the right.

Roy was laid flat, staring at the ceiling. His (very impressive) muscles were tense and he didn’t look like he was going to fall asleep anytime soon.

Jason shifted to lay on his side, facing Roy.

After a beat of silence he spoke up, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

Roy snorted, a small smile tugging on his lips. He shuffled to turn to face Jason as well. Their faces were only about a foot apart, and their knees brushed together, causing Jason to blush. Thankfully the room was dark enough so that Roy didn’t see it.

“Speaking of that, sorry for, you know, walking out like that,” Roy said. “I didn’t know Ollie was still going to be there, I thought he had left before I had arrived at the gala, so I was... thrown off, I guess.”

“It’s fine,” Jason brushed it off. “Besides, you can still make it up to me.”

“Oh yeah?” Roy whispered, shuffling closer to Jason. His breath tickled Jason’s nose, and a small voice in the back of Jason’s mind informed him that Roy was close enough to kiss. 

“You still owe me lunch,” Jason said softly as he leaned in closer.

Roy let out a quiet oh as his eyes flickered down to Jason’s lips.

Roy was so close now. All Jason would have to do is tilt his head a little. But then Roy hesitated.

The other man turned back on his back, leaving Jason hanging once more. A pang of disappointment ran through Jason.

“Lunch, yeah. Lunch sounds good,” Roy said, looking up at the ceiling. Jason layed there for a second, just looking at Roy before he flopped back onto his back with a sigh.

“Yeah.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and the others return to Gotham City, and Dick pulls Jason aside for a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter! And I am not late this time :)
> 
> Idk about anyone else but I go absolutely feral at the "there was only one bed" trope.
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who has commented so far! Those comments make my day and help inspire me!!
> 
> TW: implications of abuse at the end of the chapter, but they aren't graphic nor real, just suspected.

Jason woke up to the sound of giggling.

His mind slowly started to work, as he woke up with a groan.

Light filtered in through the windows, igniting the feeling of a cat dozing in a patch of sun in Jason. The sheets on top of him were soft, but he was laying on something hard. Jason frowned, it almost felt like a body.

His eyes snapped open. Roy. 

Jason’s head was lying on Roy’s chest, one hand on his rib cage. His legs were tangled with Roy’s own. One of Roy’s arm was flopped on the other side of the man, while the second was wrapped around Jason’s shoulder.

Roy’s shirt had ridden up at some point during the night, so Jason’s hand was pressed against his sun-kissed skin. It was smooth to the touch, with only the occasional scar. Jason wondered briefly where they were from.

Based on the slow rise and fall of Roy’s chest, he would guess he was still asleep.

Jason froze, not wanting to wake Roy up, but also wanting to get out of the awkward embrace. He lifted his head off the other man’s chest, glancing around the room.

Tim and Cass stood in the doorway, trying to stifle their laughter, to no avail. Jason glowered at them as he slowly removed Roy’s arm from where it was wrapped around him. He felt disappointed at the loss of contact, but nevertheless, he wriggled out of Roy’s hold until he was sitting on the edge of the edge.

Jason trudged over to them, still in the oversized pajamas he had borrowed from Roy.

“Dick wanted us to let you know that we’re leaving in ten minutes. So, if you and Roy wanna, ahem, say goodbyes, maybe cuddle a little more…” Tim said in a voice too smug for someone who passed out post-caffeine high not even 24 hours ago. Jason also did not like the silent implications he was making. But he ignored them for the sake of avoiding any headaches.

“My clothes from last night are ruined, you spilled your drink all over them, remember? I don’t have anything to change into,” Jason scoffed. 

“It is just a stain. You will be fine,” Cass said. Jason inwardly cringed at the prospect of wearing last night’s ruined clothes into public, but eventually sighed and conceded.

“Fine,” he said. “But what about Roy?”

“What about him?” Cass asked in a faux innocent voice.

“We have to go now or else we’ll hit rush hour traffic. Dick’s leaving a note, don’t worry,” Tim shrugged. “However, if you want to kiss him goodbye, we won’t say anything.” The little shit grinned up at Jason, only to be met with a light smack on the side of his head.

“Ow!”

“Oh, I barely touched you, you idiot,” Jason protested. Tim stuck his tongue out at Jason. “Wow, how mature of you, baby bird.”

Tim just huffed and turned to leave the room. Cass snorted and trailed after him.

With a roll of his eyes, Jason went to go pick up his clothes from last night, still laying folded atop the dresser. Tucking the garments under his arm, he turned to look at Roy one last time.

The red head still lay peacefully on the bed, as if he hadn’t heard a single bit of Jason’s interaction with his siblings. Something fluttered in Jason’s chest, a warm sappy feeling, at the sight of Roy. With his hair laying like a crown around him and the morning light giving his skin a warm glow, Jason had never seen anything prettier.

His hand fell from the door handle, as Jason took a few step closer to the bed. Pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, Jason grabbed an old grocery store receipt. Snatching a spare pen off the bedside table, Jason wrote down his number and a ‘call me’ before placing the receipt on the dresser.

Jason stole one last glance at the man, before exiting the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

\------

Jason was able to snag the front seat for the ride back to Gotham, a fact that earned him many dirty looks from Cass. He put his feet up on the dash and leaned his seat back as far as Tim would allow (as he was sitting behind him). Jason had popped headphones in about 30 minutes into the trip, and had been listening to his playlist on shuffle since. 

Dick kept giving him weird glances, as if he wanted to say something, but with a glance at the kids in the back, decided to keep his mouth shut. It’s happened four times within the past 20 minutes alone and it was starting to get on Jason’s nerve, but he wasn’t going to say anything if Dick didn’t.

The rest of the car ride was spent in stifled silence, only the faint sound of Duke’s music in the back of the car. Jason and Tim played a short game of cat and mouse where Jason would see how far he could push his seat back until Tim started kicking the back of it (the answer was not very far, Tim was a surprisingly violent child for someone who’s barely 5’5”). Dick kept giving him these weird glances, and at some point Jason just looked back at Cass to raise an eyebrow in question, as if she would know what was going on. Cass just ignored him in favor of playing Cheese Viking on her phone.

Jason looked out the window in a way he knew his mom would describe as ‘adorably melodramatic’. His mind replayed the night over and over again. He didn’t understand what was wrong with him.

Jason has met Roy a maximum of two times, one of which the other man had run out on him. Jason knows physical attraction, of course he does, but this feels different. Jason hates sounding like a cheesy romantic novel (despite how avidly he reads them), but he can’t help but feel like there is something different about Roy. Something dragging Jason to him.

And now he acted like a total moron in front of the man. He almost kissed Roy, and sure it looked like Roy was going to kiss him back, but it was the other man who turned away first. And Jason’s heart had the audacity to feel disappointment? He barely knows Roy, and he is already acting clingy. 

But even then, Jason can’t help but hope Roy will find the number he left and reach out. Maybe it was the way his eyes glowed softly in the moonlight at the gala? Maybe it was the effortless way he teased and flirted with Jason at the party? Or maybe it was his thinly veiled allusions to a struggle Jason knows all too well? But whatever it was, it remained too far out of Jason’s grasp to properly pinpoint.

Jason was brought out of his mind and back to reality by the loud creaking of the gates to Wayne Manor opening.

There was still about 10 minutes between the gate and the actual entrance to Wayne Manor, simply because the grounds of Wayne Manor are ridiculously huge (stupid rich people). However, it ended up only being 6 minutes because Dick is a recklessly fast driver.

Jason stumbled out of the car, his legs fuzzy as they adjusted to standing on solid ground. Tim came up behind him and lightly kicked him in the back of his calf, probably as revenge for Jason’s numerous attempts to kill Tim via car seat crushing, before taking off towards the house. Duke slowly trailed after Tim, his eyes still focused on his phone.

Jason whirled around at the tap on his shoulder. Cass stood behind him, pointing to Dick.

“He wants to talk,” She said before following Tim and Duke. Jason sighed as he caught sight of Dick standing on the other side of the car, his fingers tapping out an unrecognizable tune on the roof of the blue car.

“So…” Dick started, trailing off.

“What?” Jason snapped. Dick looked unbothered by Jason’s attitude, but then again, he normally does.

“Roy,” Dick said, an eyebrow raised. Jason remembered the we-will-talk-about-this-later look Dick had shot him last night.

“What about him?” Jason said, feigning nonchalance.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other?” Dick said, his voice conveying a different meaning than his words. Jason sighed. He wasn’t in a mood for any type of interrogation, no matter how friendly it was, not when even he couldn’t understand why he felt this way.

“He told you last night,” Jason scoffed. “We met at the gala when Bruce brought me to Chicago. There is nothing more, nothing less.”

“Sure,” Dick snarked. “Those looks you two were giving each other last night paints a different picture.”

Jason crossed his arms defensively, “He just happens to be good looking, are you telling me you haven’t noticed?”

“Oh, you think he’s hot?” Dick grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. He looked ridiculous, a fact that Jason informed him of.

“You hurt me, Little Wing,” Dick gasped, before sobering up. “So, do you really like him?”

Jason hesitated. Does he? That warm feeling in his chest last night at the sight of Roy’s smile told him one thing, but the logical side of Jason’s brain told him another.

“I’m not sure yet,” Jason answered quietly, a frown tugging on his lips. “I guess we’ll see right? I left him my number.”

“Roy’s a good guy,” Dick admitted, his face serious. “He’s kind, and stronger than most people I know. He’s been through a lot, so if you’re gonna do this, do it right. I don’t want either of you getting hurt. Will you promise me that? Promise to treat him right?”

Jason nodded slowly. A small part of him wondered why Dick hadn’t given him the whole “be careful with relationships with civilians” talk, as most of the others would’ve done, but he was too focused on Dick’s words. Jason remembered Roy’s words about Oliver, and the way his face shut down at the sight of the other man. He visualized the light scarring covering his body from last night. Jason wasn’t going to make assumptions, but after spending 9 years living with Willis Todd, he had a pretty good guess on what Dick really meant.

“I promise,” Jason said back to him, hoping Dick could see the earnestness on his face. Dick’s face quickly broke into a smile again.

“Now that that’s over, it is time I beat your ass at Mario Kart.”

Jason laughed, “In your dreams, Boy Blunder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to clarify, at the end, there is an implication that Oliver abuses Roy. This isn't true, the scars are from the whole vigilante thing, but it is the first logical solution that comes to Jason's mind. In this story, I imagine Oliver wants to be a good father, and he's trying to reach out to Roy, but they are still on shaky ground (which is also why Roy was trying to avoid him at the gala). I might hint at this later on in the story some more, but for now, it is mainly background stuff as this fic is focusing on Jason and his relationships with Roy and then his family.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Roy plan a date and Jason talks with Selina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late chapter, I forgot to post and that is my b.
> 
> (Anyways,,, 9 chapters into the Selina adopts Jason AU and Selina finally shows up lmao)
> 
> Enjoy!

Jason received a text that night.

‘hey’

One word, three letters, and it had Jason’s heart jumping. 

He readjusted his seat on the couch, but not by much, as to avoid waking Damian. The kid had joined them for Mario Kart earlier that day, and stayed after the other four left for patrol (Damian being benched due to a sprained ankle). He eventually fell asleep watching Animal Planet, leaning against Jason. The 13 year old was laying on top of him now, snoring lightly on Jason’s chest.

Jason typed out a response, erasing and retyping it a few times before sending.

‘Hey. Is this Roy?’

‘yeah, and i’m assuming that wasn’t a fake number and ur jason?’

Part of Jason was irked at the lack of capitalization and spelling, but the other part, the stronger part, found it cute.

‘Yeah.’ 

Jason sent the text with a picture of him, throwing up a peace sign, Damian’s head resting on Jason’s chest at the bottom of the picture. The room around him was dark, except for the glow of the tv lighting up one side of his face.

‘hes v cute, last time i tried to hug him, he looked at me like he was gonna stab me’

Jason’s lips twitched up at that, going to type something else, when he hesitated. Roy knows Damian.

And now that Jason thought about it, Roy acted like he knew Tim, Duke, and Cass already that night.

Why was Roy so familiar with his family? Jason wanted to chalk it up to the Waynes and the Queens frequenting the same social circles, but they lived all the way in Star City and Jason’s family normally stayed in Gotham and Bludhaven while in civilian personas (with a few business exceptions for Bruce).

Jason could explain away Roy and Dick being friends, but Roy knowing Damian intimately enough to try and hug him? It made no sense, Jason has lived in Wayne Manor for four years now and he’s never met Roy. And the others have certainly never mentioned visiting the man in Star City.

Something felt off about this, but Jason couldn’t put his finger on it. It frustrated him, but he put it off to ask Dick about later.

Snapping back to reality, Jason realized that Roy had texted him 10 minutes ago.

“Crap,” Jason muttered, too afraid of Alfred to use a real cuss word. 

‘So, are we still on for lunch?’

Jason tapped the side of his phone nervously as he waited for the bubble with the three dots to turn into a text.

‘i know a good place in star if ur down? its nothing fancy but its good food for a low price’

‘I’m free on Thursday, is that good for you?’

‘of course. can’t wait to see u ;)’

It was just a winky emoji, but it was a winky emoji. Jason’s heart skipped a beat as he read over the text. He shouldn’t be getting so happy over a winky emoji of all things.

Jason sent back a smiley face before tossing his phone to the side. He looked up at the ceiling, the slow-moving fan casting long shadows in the dark room.

What was he doing?

Getting so caught up in a man he’s met twice? A man who Jason clearly doesn’t know well enough to get heart fluttering the way it is right now. Jason knows better than this. He knows better than to fall hard for the first person with a pretty face and a dazzling smile. For all Jason knows of Roy, he could be a serial killer.

He was a thief. He has been since he was a child trying to keep his mother alive and his dad out of jail. He has been since that night when Selina found him standing next to the batmobile with a tire iron. And he was now.

But now, it was Roy who had stolen his attention and his affections, with just a few short minutes of conversation, and a look that conveyed a thousand words. 

Jason knew he was falling too fast and too hard, but he couldn’t find it within himself to open his parachute.

———

Jason spent the rest of the week anticipating his return to Star. He spent hours obsessing over an outfit, Dick giving unhelpful commentary from where he was lounging on Jason’s bed eating a bowl of Cap’n Crunch in Chocolate Milk. He had Cass accompany him on a trip to the salon to get his haircut. And Stephanie must have heard about it too, because when she visited on Tuesday to see Tim, she passed Jason a list of frankly awful pickup lines.

Even with everything keeping him distracted as Jason prepared for what should be a simple lunch date (Was it a date? Maybe it was just a friendly meeting? Roy never mentioned a date. Was he overthinking? Probably, but the anxiety remained with him), his mind still found times to run wild with all the worst case scenarios. 

Wednesday afternoon, Jason sat in Bruce’s study, looking out the window as the rain fell outside.

The soft plinking on the glass, lulled him into a relaxed state, curling up on the only couch in the study, his gaze fixated on the rivlets of water falling down the glass pane.

Less than 24 hours until the date and he had nothing left to do. He had planned everything and anything that he needed to, and even things he didn’t, with a type of meticulous energy that emulated Bruce solving a case. There was nothing to do now but wait.

A soft knock sounded on the frame of the doorway. Jason, didn’t bother turning around, he knew who it was. Bruce and Tim were at WE, Dick and Damian were called away for a Titans mission, Cass was staying with Steph, and Duke was at Gotham Academy, having offered to help tutor some of the middle school kids.

“Hey, Kitten,” Selina greeted, sliding onto the couch next to him. Jason craned his neck away from the window to look at her properly. Wearing a pair of leggings and a large sweatshirt that was probably Bruce’s, she gave him a soft smile, reaching up to card her fingers through his hair.

“Hello, Mama,” He said in return. He didn’t call her Mama (or any other variation of Mom) often, usually using ‘Selina’ or some other nickname, but he couldn’t stop the term from slipping from his lips.

Selina’s hand moved from his hair to cup the back of his neck, pulling him close so he was leaning against her, his head resting on her shoulder. Resuming petting his hair, Jason let himself relax against her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

It has been a few days since he last saw her, too busy with preparations to call her, and Selina away with Holly on some kind of mission. Jason had missed her, and was glad to be in her presence after so long.

“So, the others were saying something about a date?” She asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. Jason felt his face flush at the words.

“I,uh- yeah. Tomorrow.” He stumbled out.

“Is he cute?”

“Yes,” Jason answered without hesitation, grinning. “Very.”

There was no point trying to deny it. From the soft waves his red hair falls in and the freckles dusting Roy’s face to the hard line of his jaw and the corded muscle of his arms, he certainly wasn’t ugly.

“And you like him?”

He did hesitate now. Yeah, Jason thought he was a nice guy, but he got a hunch that that wasn’t what Selina was asking.

Roy was funny, kind, and Jason liked being around him. Despite only talking to him briefly on two occasions, it was easy to be around him. Jason didn’t know if he was in love just yet, but… he gets the feeling it wouldn’t be hard to love Roy.

“Yeah, I do.”

“That’s good. I’m happy for you,” Selina said, punctuating her sentence by pressing a kiss to the crown of Jason’s head. “At least you’re going on real dates, instead of fighting on rooftops.”

Jason snorted, remembering how Selina and Bruce used to dance around each other, never deciding whether they hated or loved the other. 

“Maybe I can invest in some parkour classes for him, we could try it out.”

“Don’t even,” She scolded lightly. “His name is Roy Harper, right?”

“Yeah, did Dick tell you?”

“Mmm, yeah,” She hummed. “Did you get Bruce to run a background check?”

Jason frowned. “No, but based on how he reacts any time the others go on a date, I have no doubt he’s done it already.”

Selina must have sensed the annoyance in his tone, her hand halting from where she was threading her fingers through his hair. 

“You know he does it because he cares, right?”

Jason didn’t respond.

“Plus, it helps me sleep at night to know your boyfriend isn’t some kind of mass murderer or something like that. You don’t want to worry your poor, old mother, right?” She joked, her lips twitching u into a lopsided smile.

“Whatever,” Jason shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Besides, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Yet, Kitten, he’s not your boyfriend yet.”

“Wow, you’re really pushing this relationship aren’t you?” Jason snorted. She just shrugged noncommittally.

“Dick told me he’s a trust fund baby and you know what I always told you about marrying rich.” She winked at him.

“Wooooow, wait until B hears about this.”

“Oh, he knows.”

The conversation died off after that, moving into a comfortable silence. Jason tucked his head into the crook of her neck, just letting himself relax into his mother’s hold. Selina didn’t seemed concern about his weight (because while Jason wasn’t the tallest, only 5’9”, he was still taller and had more muscle mass than Selina, who was a petite 5’6”), carding through his hair with one hand and rubbing circles into his back with the other.

Jason’s eyes flickered around the room, landing on the pictures Bruce kept on his desk. There were various pictures of the rest of his siblings, and Jason himself, and one picture of Alfred. He focused on the photo taken at his parent’s wedding.

Selina draped in a white and black gown, Bruce in a tailored back suit. Jason and the others stood off to the side cheering as Bruce dipped Selina down into a kiss.

He felt a smile grow on his face at the memory. At how happy and carefree both of the adults had been, as if they had forever to be together. Although… that is what marriage is, Jason supposed. A promise of forever.

He wondered if he would ever make that promise, to Roy or someone else. And whether or not it would end like Willis and Catherine’s broken relationship, or Selina and Bruce’s fairytale ending. He hoped for the second one, but… who knows?

Jason would prefer to just not risk it, eliminate the threat and the bad things won’t happen, right? But even knowing it was the best way to avoid a most likely inevitable heartbreak, it just seemed so… lonely.

“What’s on your mind, Kitten?” Selina asked, her voice soft, as if hesitant to break the peaceful quiet.

Jason sighed. “How did you know- How could you tell Bruce was the one, and it wouldn’t end in-”

He couldn’t find the words to finish the sentence, but Selina knew what he was thinking.

“This is going to sound sappy, but… you don’t know. It isn’t some kind of thought process to figure it out. It’s just a gut feeling, a slow realization that you love them, and they love you back. And that love? It isn’t the ‘until death do us part’ kind of love, it’s the kind of love you know will last far longer than that.”

Silence claimed them again, for a moment, until Jason broke it once more.

“Do you think I’ll ever find that kind of love?”

“We never know what our future holds for us, Kitten, but I hope you do. You deserve that much,” She stated, as if she believed every word, that she had no doubt that Jason deserved something like that. Jason had doubts, none that he would ever voice, but would continue to whisper at him from the back of his mind. He wondered if Selina ever had doubts.

“Thanks, Mama.”

“Anytime, Kitten.”


	10. UPDATE

Hey y'all!

While my original plan was to use the Winter Holidays as a break time and resume posting after that, I may have to change this up a bit. School is starting to get hectic again, and I have a few other projects that need my attention, so this fic will have to take a back seat for the next few weeks. I will continue working on it in my free time so that I can get an update for y'all sooner rather than later, but other than that, I can't give you much of a time table. I apologize for this, I really am sorry for letting you guys down. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with this fic and leaving kudos and comments! I love you guys!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the date finally arrives, and as Roy and Jason grow closer, a new player arrives on the board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, but with school and a bunch of other stuff, I am struggling to find the motivation to finish this story. Don't get me wrong, I like the story, it's just starting to become tiring to write it without inspiration, because the only emotion I have nowadays is writers block lol.
> 
> But yeah,, Chapter 10! LMK what you guys think!
> 
> (Note: While I am not on Haitus anymore, chapter updates will be more erratic in time placement from now on because life is crazy)

Jason tapped his fingers against that plastic surface of the table. The restaurant was a quaint little sandwich shop in downtown Star, half full of workers on lunch break and small families out on the town. 

Having arrived 15 minutes early, he had claimed a corner booth, going ahead and ordering a pink lemonade while he waited. Jason let his eyes roam over the small clusters of customers sitting around the restaurant. Some pencil pushers who looked like their souls had been drained out of their eyes sat at a long table in the corner, mindlessly working on their laptops. An older couple sat a few booths down from Jason, smiling and laughing at each other’s jokes. One of the smaller tables in the middle of the room sat a frazzled looking mom and her young son.

Jason let himself melt into the scene, enjoying the normalness of the moment. It was a nice contrast to the absurdities his life boasted. It seemed small, but he relished the quiet moments where he could relax, and not worry about whatever problem the universe wants to throw at him and his family next. 

The bell on the door chimed as the clock hit 1, signaling the arrival of one Roy Harper. Wearing a plain red shirt, jeans, and a sly smile, the redhead slid into the booth across from Jason. He was pleased to report that his arms looked just as good in a t-shirt as they did in a tank top.

“Hey,” Roy greeted, leaning back against the seat to get comfortable. “It’s good to see you again.” 

Jason smiled and returned the sentiment, before signaling down the waitress so Roy could order a drink. While they waited for her to return, Jason turned his attention back to the man sitting across from him.

“So, you’re into cars or something?”Jason started delicately. Getting to know one another was always a good place to start a relationship (Relationship? When did he start thinking of this as a relationship?), and asking questions was the easiest way to do so.

Roy raised an eyebrow at that. “Sorta, I’m an engineer, so I dabble with a few different things. How did you guess?” Jason shrugged it off, pausing to take a sip of his lemonade.

“You had oil stains and goggles on when we back at your place, so I kinda jumped to that conclusion.” And double-checked with Dick to make sure he was right and didn’t look like a fool. “So, what were you working on then?”

Roy’s smiled brightened from a kind look to a blinding grin that caused Jason’s heart to skip a beat. The excitement to talk about this was clear on his face, so he counted that as a win.

“Well, it’s interesting really. Normally I like to work on small inventions, robots, defense systems, stuff like that. But this time-” Jason didn’t understand a whole lot of the words that came after that, his academic forte being History and Literature, with occasional chances to work basic Chemistry and Math to help investigations (or explosions, on the rare times Selina lets him use those). Jason wasn’t dumb, not by a long shot, but Roy was clearly a genius. 

But despite having little prior knowledge on the subject, Jason found himself swept into the conversation, encouraged by Roy’s own enthusiasm. If he could look at himself now, he knew he would have a blush dusting his cheeks, turning red from the brilliant smile that graced the other man’s face.

By the time they ordered and the food arrived, the conversation had turned to more practical applications of Roy’s knowledge.

“Do you work in a garage or lab or something? I know you’re the heir to the Queen fortune, being the eldest or whatever, but clearly, you’re passionate about this.”

“I mean, I worked at a couple of places here and there when I was a teen, while Ollie and I were on the outs, or, at least, more on the out than we are now. But now I do more… freelance work,” Roy’s eyes flickered away from Jason’s as he said that. Curious, Jason pressed more.

“Freelance? What does that entail?” He tried to keep his tone light and conversational, not wanting to ruin the flow they had going earlier, but clearly, it didn’t work. Roy fidgeted in his seat, hesitating before responding.

“Oh, you know, just some things here and there,” He shrugged. “And you? What do you do?”

Jason let the topic go, if Roy didn’t tell him, he wasn’t going to force him to. Besides, it wasn’t like Jason was going to give him an honest answer either.

“English tutoring when I’m free, and some charity work in Park Row, but I don’t need to do much at this point in my life.” Roy hummed at his answer. And if Jason didn’t know any better, he would think that he didn’t believe his answer. But that was ridiculous, you don’t train under Batman and Catwoman and end up as a bad liar. 

“You’re still 19, right? Or at least, that’s what I remember Dick saying.” At Jason’s nod, he continued. “College not for you?”

He wanted college to be for him, but with everything going on for him, he didn’t have much room for it. In addition to how much time his ‘night job’ takes up, Jason still had a criminal record, both from his time on the streets and the times he has been caught with Selina (which, thankfully, the second part is not public record), and all the years he missed of school when he was taking care of Catherine simply don’t make for a great application letter. He has been using this year to finalize all his education requirements he missed that he needs to apply, taking online classes and such, but so far Jason isn’t enrolled anywhere.

“Sorta, It’s not like Dick’s situation if that’s what you mean. I want to go, but now just isn’t a good time for me. And you, you’re what…?”

“21, but yeah, I know everything I need to know, I don’t need to go back there. Besides, I got bigger things going for me right now.”

Jason’s interest piqued at ‘bigger things’, but Roy’s phone rang before he could get the chance to ask, a song Jason didn’t recognize ringing out in the small restaurant.

The device was faced away from him, but Jason could see the frown on the other man’s face clear as day. 

“Is everything alright?”

Not meeting his eyes, Roy mumbled, “Yeah, sorry, I gotta take this,” before sliding out of the booth. 

Jason huffed but didn’t say anything. Giving him a thumbs up, as if Roy needed his permission, already moving towards the restaurant doors. Tearing his eyes away only once the redhead had left his sight range, Jason sunk into his seat with a scowl.

Roy wasn’t required to shut everything off just for Jason, especially not on a…? First date? Do the gala and ‘sleepover’ count? Either way, he can’t help but feel like he’s being blown off a second time.

Content to wallow in his misery until Roy returned, Jason felt the hairs at the base of his neck prickle, like someone was watching him. Adjusting his posture to sit up straighter, he took a sip of his drink as his eyes danced across the room. After crossing over a few people, he found the spy.

A lone woman, sitting at a table on the opposite side of the room. Long black hair, dark eyes, and perfectly manicured nails as she drank from a cup of tea. Not even trying to hide the fact that she was watching him, she gestured to the open seat in front of her. 

No one was really paying any attention to either of them, and she seemed unassuming on the outside, but Jason wasn’t going to let that fool him.

Years of being around vigilantes and villains of all calibers taught him to recognize danger. And her? She reeked of it. From the easy confidence, she held herself with, to the sharp points of her smile, anyone would recognize her for what she is, trouble. He was half tempted to stay away, listen to all of Alfred’s lectures about not throwing oneself into danger needlessly, but the other half, the part that resonated with the whole ‘curiosity killed the cat’ saying, wanted to hear what she wanted to say.  
But the split-second hesitation was enough to miss the opportunity. The bell at the restaurant door rang again as Roy walked back in, phone in his pocket. In the split-second Jason took to look at Roy then back at the woman, she was already gone. He looked around the room, but she was nowhere to be found. Roy clearly caught onto his search, looking around the room himself.

“What’s going on?” He asked, almost warily. Jason paused before answering, not entirely sure himself.

“Nothing, it was nothing,” He brushed it off, not willing to bring it up until he knew it was safe to do so. “Is everything alright?”

He slid back into the booth, giving him a strained smile. “Yeah, just… family business. Nothing to worry about.”

“Ah,” Jason said lightly, not knowing how to continue from there, so moving to a new topic entirely. “So… are you done eating? Because I looked up movie time nearby on my way here if you’re up for that?”

Roy gave him a grateful look at the change of topic, transferring to the new one quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’d love that,” He said, his smile bright enough to help Jason forget the strange woman and Roy’s earlier caginess.

Packing up their stuff, Roy offered to cover the bill, saying it was all on Oliver’s card anyway. Walking out the door of the restaurant, Jason’s hand brushed against the other’s.

They laughed as they walked along the street to the nearby theater, discussing movie options as Jason subtly slipped his hand into Roy’s, the redhead immediately locking fingers with him. With a blush threatening to powder his cheeks and Roy right beside him, he was content to stay in this moment forever.

With his conversation with Selina fresh in mind, how she told him it was just a gut feeling, looking up at Roy, Jason could believe her. Was he the One they talked about? Maybe, maybe not, but until then, he was happy just to walk side by side, his hand in Roy’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can any of y'all guess who the woman was? She'll come into play later.


End file.
